Harbaugh says team didn’t know about Tarell Brown workout clause

49ers cornerback Tarell Brown opted not to participate in the team’s voluntary offseason program. He didn’t know that his decision resulted in the loss of $2 million in 2013 base salary.

According to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, coach Jim Harbaugh said Sunday that the team didn’t know, either, until after Brown’s ability to preserve the $2 million had been lost.

As one league source told PFT before Harbaugh made his remarks, 49ers COO Paraag Marathe surely knows the details of every player contract. While it’s possible that the numbers guys didn’t give the football guys a chance to advise Brown that he was about to give the team $2 million in cash and cap space, any suggestion that no one with the Niners knew the nuances of the contract the team negotiated and signed arguably makes the team look worse than if they’d known about it and secretly hoped Brown would fail to show.

Per Maiocco, Harbaugh also said that he hopes the team and the player can resolve the situation in a way that will allow everyone to eventually laugh about it.

Other than letting Brown laugh all the way to the bank with his $2 million, there’s nothing the 49ers can really do. With Brown entering the final year of his contract, an extension could be used to funnel the lost money to Brown, but it would be hard to distinguish between payment for the lost salary and compensation for his future value to the team.

Stuff like this never happens to the Redskins. The Redskins are the best and classiest franchise in NFL history. Redskin players are the most talented in the league, smartest in the league and classiest. There are the Redskins and then there are loser franchises like the 49ers. #RedskinswinSuperBowlswhile49erswatchonTV

Oh please, that may be the stupidest thing the man has ever said. The organization knew what was happening. The problem is they are just now realizing that $2 million bucks may cost them one of their better players. No doubt plenty of other teams are interested in the possibility of signing Brown next season. Not to mention what the rest of the team’s players think about the possibility of the team stealing money from them.

Ripping Brown off is either worth it or not coach, you can’t have it both ways.

Harbaugh just made himself look like an a$$ with these comments. The head coach of an nfl team should make it a point to know important contract details of every player.

And while he certainly can’t keep all those details in mind, he could also certainly have reminders pop up on his computer or iPad that would say – remind player x that if he doesn’t come to offseason workouts he loses 2 million.

Or even easier, the head coach certainly has an administrative assistant who could be responsible for such reminders.

This is like being a salaried employee, taking a random Wednesday off, and then getting upset because you didn’t realize they’d dock your pay for that. Except this is worse because they had a specific contract and this guy would have known if he read it. I don’t see what action anyone would be expecting here to “correct the situation”, unfortunately.

The coach needs to be in the player’s corner, even when the front office isn’t. This is the right move and hopefully an extension gets worked out in good faith. Brown has been a really solid contributor the past couple of seasons, and I don’t see any way he shouldn’t be at least a nickel corner for the next three seasons.

typical modern society, blaming everybody but themselves..at the end of the day its browns contract HIS rsponsibility!! he signed it, he deals with the consequenses, harbaugh has how many players this offseason? 90. If the player who signed the contract didnt play attention why should harbaugh he has the TEAM to look after and his own life!!

Harbaugh’s next job will be as a politician.
He lies with no twinge of conscience just like a politician.
When we (most of us with a brain) know he is lying, he looks the cameras dead on and deadpans his spinning lying ways.

It would be interesting to know whether the team asked him to come to the optional workouts, and/or why he didn’t show up.

It the people responsible for organizing the workouts really were not aware of the clause, and he thought he was not obligated to come, then it seems more like a mutual innocent mistake, and both parties could accept some responsibility for a situation that did not seem to result in any actual harm, with the team paying him at least a portion of the amount.

Are you suggesting that the player didn’t know about the details of his contract? The team has upwards of 90 contracts in it’s hands, and the player has ONE. Knowing what his job includes, what he gets paid for, what he doesn’t get paid for and the time frames he’s required to report in order to be paid is HIS responsibility.

I know when I’m expected to be at work, I know how long any duration of time off is (i.e. weekends, holiday, vacation, etc). Is anyone really to blame other than the person expecting their paycheck?

Perhaps a note from his mommy explaining that the dog ate his contract will do. When will these alleged adults grow up and take responsibility for their own actions, or lack there of?

Of course someone in the Niners organization knows. They had to plan for it as if Brown showed up that’s 2 million less they have it cap space. However, I highly doubt the head coach of any team knows the full details and every nuance of a players contract.

The blame is on Brown’s then agent. From Brown’s comments back in June it suggests that they were trying to use that additional 2 million cap hit on the Niners as leverage to get a new deal done.

Brown was mum and left it up to his agent as to whether to hold out training camp to get a new deal.

I’m sure the Niners will try to work something out. Maybe they give him some bonus for getting a certain number of interceptions.

I realize these under-educated primas have agents to negotiate , monitor and keep track of certain things and areas of their lives, however the player is in charge and the agent is the employee. Exactly what employer knows SO little about his career responsibilities that he is ignorant of a TWO MILLION DOLLAR business opportunity/responsibility?!

Man there’s no LOGIC in that voice. .. why would Harbaugh know of a clause in a contract.. Love him or hate him he’s a players coach, he wouldn’t “steal” a players money. Brown is our best cb, doesn’t mean we want to resign him. Cb is our first rounder next year imho.

The blame is primarily on the agent because it’s his job to make sure his client fully understands the ins and outs of his contract and what it all means. That’s exactly why you have and pay for an agent.

Brown has some blame as well as he should place a phone call to his agent after the season and go “Hey what do I need to do this upcoming season to make sure I get everything in my contract”

As far as I know with the 9ers organization at the very least as the article states Paraag Marathe knew about it. He’s the numbers guy and he does the contracts and manages the cap. So it’s reasonable that Baalke and Harbaugh weren’t aware of the clause as that’s not the job or concern.

So what if the team knew? They’re under no obligation to remind this moron. For all they knew he was not showing willingly. It’s nobody’s fault but the player’s. Not the agent, not the coach, not the GM, the player. You can guarantee if I signed a big ones contract I’d know every franking detail by heart.

The Harbaugh in Baltimore is a guy that you could really follow anywhere and believe in. The Harbaugh in San Francisco seems like a guy who would stab you in the back just to get ahead of you in line at McDonald’s…

I have to believe that every NFL contract is on file with the NFLPA.. If that is the case, I have to think the NFLPA would have a system to remind every player on how to gain the maximum value from the contract. Isn’t that why the NFLPA exists?

Coach Jim, did someone call in and tell the Niner’s that they didn’t owe Tarell 2 million? Perhaps it was a Tiger Master’s deal. I know if I just lost 2 million I would be all butt-hurt. If you want to win just be there every time the damn door opens.